Some churches like Ga. pastor's thin on safeguards

For pastors at independent megachurches, restraint and accountability can be harder to achieve than growth and success.

Bishop Eddie Long has seen New Birth Missionary Baptist Church grow into a 25,000-member powerhouse with a $50 million cathedral.

Now he's accused of coercing four young men into sex, which he denies.

Ted Haggard, the former leader of a Colorado megachurch, says accountability can be hard to find in large, independent churches. He says many pastors see themselves as standing above the members of their congregations.

But Harvard Professor Harvey Cox says internal controls are no guarantee against misconduct. He cites the Roman Catholic Church as a prime example of a well-organized religious group that has struggled with clerical wrongdoing.

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